christmas and new year’s

okay, so this is ridiculously, shamefully late. but we’re doing this anyways.

christmas:
christmas was nice. this was my first christmas away from home, and it felt a little weird. i’m not really that close to anyone here, so i was a little nervous about what i’d be doing. really didn’t want to spend christmas alone.  luckily, angelica from work invited me and several other people to a christmas extravaganza at her grandfather’s house! it sounded like it was gonna be great, but right before the big day, angelica’s uncle unfortunately passed away. he’d been sick for a while, but it was still sudden for her and her family.
obviously and rightly, christmas plans were put on hold. so i ended up having a couple friends over on christmas eve, and christmas day there was a small get together at lisa bartle’s, the big boss at tpr. it was nice! so that’s my christmas.
as for christmas in taiwan in general, it’s a much bigger deal than you’d imagine for a country where basically nobody celebrates it. apparently the companies here want to make the same amount of money as american ones do. it’s not nearly as big a deal as it is in america, but the good news is there aren’t tons of carols and obnoxious things every time you walk in a store. here are some pictures of what things look like.

new year’s eve:
new year’s eve is a much better story than christmas. on the 30th, it was holly’s birthday and people from work met some of her friends.  we all got alongpretty well, it was fun. the party ended, but I stayed out with a couple of the people I met there, and we had a fun night hopping around different bars and things. at the end of the night, they invited me to their new years plans. these plans ended up being going to a party at the w, one of the nicest hotels in the city. it has a fantastic view of taipei 101. i should, at this point, probably mention that taipei has a pretty cool tradition for new year’s: they put fireworks all over 101, then set ‘em all off.  it’s a pretty cool things to see, especially when it’s from a $12000 per night suite. where there are servers who make drinks for you. and all kinds of classy amenities. pictures below. anyway, it was an awesome night. lots of fun people and probably the best view in the city of the fireworks.